This is a controversy that doesn't seem to go away. The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux is not a politically correct nickname according to the NCAA. But the nickname is very popular in North Dakota and among many North Dakota politicians causing the controversy to swing back and forth.
At one time it was assumed that the University of North Dakota would join the Summit League along with North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and the University of South Dakota. But that didn't happen, perhaps due to the reluctance of the Summit League to join the controversy. Eventually the Big Sky Conference invited and accepted the University of North Dakota as a member but maybe that will be reconsidered now that UND are the Fighting Sioux again.
Regardless of the outcome, the controversy is unfortunate. I think the nicknames approved by Native American groups like the Florida State Seminoles and Central Michigan Chippewas honor those tribes. I still think it is sad that the Eastern Michigan Hurons are no longer. But I have read in the past that there is no way that the Fighting Sioux nickname will ever be approved by the Lakota Nation.
I have no strong feelings either way. I find the Fighting Sioux nickname no more insulting than the Fighting Irish nickname of another UND, the University of Notre Dame. I also find the Fighting Sioux nickname a lot more palatable than the Washington Redskins nickname.
So it is hard to predict how this controversy will ever be resolved between the politicians and citizens of North Dakota, the alumni of North Dakota State, the Lakota people, and the NCAA. This controversy could rage for quite some time yet.
University Of North Dakota Resumes Using Fighting Sioux Nickname via Fox News
